It's way, way, way too young to be a very serious Liu An. Probably very good to be drinkable at all, and were I to buy some, I don't think I would consider anything but a basket. If I only want a little, then I'm buying old Liu An.

I think it might be necessary to have a thread for Hei Cha. Liu Bao, Liu an, and other teas that are similar to it. As a lot of us know, pu-erh is but one kind of Hei cha out of a large group of them. I'd definitely post in that thread often.

I thought there was one, could not find it though. It would be nice to have a separate topic. Actually found this older topic too. viewtopic.php?f=20&t=16991

Received my houde order, brewed some liu an last night. The shacks from the bottom of the 2oz bag. Probably about 7-9 grams in 100ml. Two rinses.

Dry leaf smells rather sweet and clean. Similar in many ways to very heavy cooked shu. There is a white frost throughout, but not a trace of mold smell in dry leaf, or brewed (taste and smell).

Upon tasting...WHOA. Super strong, mix dirt/soil/gravel shu taste. Will cut down by at least half next time. Picture of brew on houde is way lighter then the dark shuness I brewed up.After effects...this is where it gets interesting for me. After 4 brews I was told by the voice in my head/body (this guy sometimes can't be trusted ) to pour leaves out and be done. Children's questions kinda just blew by me. I was rather spaced out in an uncomfortable way, body felt wonkey, brain felt rather cloudy...(like the feeling when you have slight poisoning) for about one minute. After the initial shock on my body...I felt rather uplifted, energized, and generally good, as if by body just went through a small purge.

Were these effects as a result of detox or a poisoning. OR a little of both...or just all in the mind...should be interesting to see what a lighter brew produces.

I thought there was one, could not find it though. It would be nice to have a separate topic. Actually found this older topic too. viewtopic.php?f=20&t=16991

Received my houde order, brewed some liu an last night. The shacks from the bottom of the 2oz bag. Probably about 7-9 grams in 100ml. Two rinses.

Dry leaf smells rather sweet and clean. Similar in many ways to very heavy cooked shu. There is a white frost throughout, but not a trace of mold smell in dry leaf, or brewed (taste and smell).

Upon tasting...WHOA. Super strong, mix dirt/soil/gravel shu taste. Will cut down by at least half next time. Picture of brew on houde is way lighter then the dark shuness I brewed up.After effects...this is where it gets interesting for me. After 4 brews I was told by the voice in my head/body (this guy sometimes can't be trusted ) to pour leaves out and be done. Children's questions kinda just blew by me. I was rather spaced out in an uncomfortable way, body felt wonkey, brain felt rather cloudy...(like the feeling when you have slight poisoning) for about one minute. After the initial shock on my body...I felt rather uplifted, energized, and generally good, as if by body just went through a small purge.

Were these effects as a result of detox or a poisoning. OR a little of both...or just all in the mind...should be interesting to see what a lighter brew produces.

hehe, I gotta try it now. I like teas that have the potential to be potent.

By way of negligence, I have actually bought some "raw" 2005 Liu An by Shun Yi Shun. I totally love the ripe 2005 version but this raw "tribute tip" is totally unlike it. You can find similar one here: http://item.taobao.com/item.htm?id=14732943308

My question to those who have experienced raw young Liu An is:1. Do they smell 90% like green tea?2. Taste somewhat Tie Guan Yin-like and 3. Broth is smooth (does not tickle my throat like ripe 2005) and slightly sweet?

Last night, I got around to drinking some liu an I bought here in HK and have had sitting in my office for a year. Looks to be raw (green leaves). Nice, red brew. Very clean and no mold whatsoever. It was from a good source (and cheap), so I consider it a heck of a deal. Like a VERY clean, sweet shu. Maybe I should buy a few more catties (600g bags)...

shah82 wrote:It's way, way, way too young to be a very serious Liu An. Probably very good to be drinkable at all, and were I to buy some, I don't think I would consider anything but a basket. If I only want a little, then I'm buying old Liu An.

Do you find Liu An tasting like the basket? I bought Liu An from Yunnan Sourcing and it seemed to me to taste like the basket? I could, however, be misreading where the flavor came from. I took it out of the basket and have been storing it for about 3 months now. Hopefully the flavor will mellow.

jayinhk wrote:Last night, I got around to drinking some liu an I bought here in HK and have had sitting in my office for a year. Looks to be raw (green leaves). Nice, red brew. Very clean and no mold whatsoever. It was from a good source (and cheap), so I consider it a heck of a deal. Like a VERY clean, sweet shu. Maybe I should buy a few more catties (600g bags)...

Definitely no green/TGY aromas to it though!

+1

Liu Ann is made from Sheng historically. Yes Jay, red amber brew with sweetness and definitely with bamboo leaves aroma and flavor, perhaps from the basket. The taste is unique and they can be pinpointed quite accurately when you drink it. Usually, Liu Ann is brewed with some small pieces of the bamboo leaves of the basket. I find aged Liu Ann match perfectly with aged mandarin peel, Chen Pi.

Many tea drinkers would agreed that Liu Anntakes a long time to aged from the Sheng base and would find them nice after 15-20 years. The shou Liu Ann are believed to be new, inferior and fabricated.

I don't have much Liu Ann, a fistful from 50s, 70s and 90s courtesy from generous tea friends. I enjoy the tea especially the ancient ones when brewed with a silver or two of Chen Pi. Hmmm....my heart is longing for this lovely tea now.

Having a very nice 90s liu an, courtesy of a very generous teafriend .Luckily I remembered to put in some of the bamboo for brewing!Smooth and very thick, some infusions tasted quite young but still very enjoyable.